2013 KTM Lycan 650B or 27.5 Mountain Bikes

KTM Lycan 650B Mountain Bikes

The Lycan MTB model is now four years old, and is KTM’s most popular full suspension model. As such KTM chose the Lycan as the frame to spearhead it’s launch of their 650b equipped mountain bikes. In doing so they have produced one of the first readily available b-tweener bikes.

Why 650b or 27.5 inch? This style of mountain bike wheels have the advantage over the 29er of being lighter, but yet faster than 26inch wheels. Only time will tell if this platform will make it the ultimate trail bike? . KTM didn’t just slap on a set of 27.5 wheels and call it good. They developed a completely new geometry design and system for the Lycan, and with the increased wheel size they gave the Lycan 650B a slight increase in the rear wheel travel and bumped it up to 125mm, delivered through the brand’s DPS frame design as seen on the KTM Scarp 29er Bikes.

DPS isn’t the only feature shared by the Lycan, which also boasts the same oversized head tube, 12mm tru-axle and directly mounted derailleurs and brake mounts. For KTM, suspension is always the top priority when it comes to building the bike for production, and so the Lycan 650 range comes with a 650b specific front fork. The frame itself is aluminium, made with incredibly smooth welding and featuring integrated cabling to accentuate the clean lines. Please note while the 651 is shown here, the 652 and 653 are in the lineup but not shown here.

The Lycan 650 will be available in three models, with prices ranging from €2,300 to €3,400.